Thesis Project:

Rises in energy rates, global economic crisis, global warming, apprehension for the planet and our future generations are vast concerns for general population. Puerto Rico suffers from all of the previous issues mentioned, but also lacks the sustainability and the spread of this knowledge in the population; which could minimize some of the impacts of the crisis the world and specifically the island is going through. A lot of spaces designated for the interaction of people have been closed or removed, affecting the cultural aspect of socialization. Working with these issues while implementing architecture, design and sustainability into a cultural and social building that becomes a teaching tool by the interaction of environment and user is what is intended to be achieved in this project.
A solution to a sustainable concern in the island of Puerto Rico is introduced through architecture in a multi-functional building that responds to site and public interests, it also serves as a device for learning about technological possibilities by implementing not only solar, tidal and wind power but also interactive sustainable features that are functional and serve to enhance education though social interaction. Achieving a zero energy building is difficult but not impossible. The amount of sources required to produce the energy the building would consume are really high, especially because the building will be working throughout 24 hours. The energy needed to achieve functionality of the building is high enough as to be impossible to apply technologies only in the infrastructure of the building. Additional energy generating technologies were implemented in the site and surroundings in order to meet energy requirements